Moon hopes more gay players follow Sam's lead

The way Seahawks broadcaster Warren Moon sees it, Michael Sam's homosexuality shouldn't be problem with teammates once he reaches the NFL. The Hall of Fame quarterback says it wasn't an issue during his career when he played on "many teams with gay players" whose sexual orientation was known only within the locker room.

Michael Sam

"These guys are fine, they're great teammates, they're excellent football players, and that's all you really want at the end of the day is a guy that's going to contribute to your football team, help you win and be a good teammate," Moon told 710 ESPN Seattle's "Bob and Groz" on Tuesday, two days after Sam, a defensive end from Missouri, announced he's gay.

Moon was a member of the 1993 Houston Oilers team that – according to the Houston Chronicle – had at least two gay players whose sexual orientation was not an issue in the locker room. Sam will become the first openly gay player in the NFL, and Moon thinks he'll be judged based on his ability and character as opposed to his sexual orientation.

"All the rest of that stuff, we don't care what people do when they go home at night and what their sexual preference is because we all have our own sexual preferences regardless of what it is," he said, "and that's none of our business as long as they come to work everyday and they do the things that are asked to be done as a football player."

Moon hopes other gay players follow Sam's lead.

"I have no problem with it and I hope more guys continue to come out because I don't see it as that big of a problem," he said. "There are some guys who are a little bit uncomfortable with it, but I think at the end of the day when they see how these guys act on a day-to-day basis they'll understand that they're just regular human beings who are really good football players and good teammates, and that's all it really boils down to."